An Enlightened Odyssey

My friends and I before my graduation ceremony.

Good day my friends! Hola mis queridos amigos! Mar7aba ya as-duh-qatees! How are you all? What path has life taken you on today? I am very great! I have officially graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a Concentration in Management! I am very proud and I am happy that my friends and family were able to celebrate this accomplishment with me. I promise to do my best to contribute to the well-being of the world, it's the least I can do because the world has always been kind to me and blessed me.

Me in Santa Barbara, CA.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I traveled to Santa Barbara, CA, Boston, MA and New York, NY. I will be heading to Los Angeles, CA and the Central Coast, CA next week (I will post pics of those places soon!). I fancied the atmosphere of Cambridge and the grandeur of Harvard University. Perhaps, when I take a break from being a revolutionary, I'll go there for graduate school. I even checked out Fenway Park...the home of the Boston Red Sox, the arch enemy of my beloved New York Yankees. It was a dream come true in a way, because I had grown up watching games being played at the stadium and I felt a sense of completion. I had made it out of  "El Barrio" against many odds, by working hard and getting excellent marks and receiving grants and scholarships.

I defied my traditional family upbringing by leaving home alone when I was 17, it was not difficult, considering some issues I've touched on in previous posts. It was difficult to part from my grandparents, who had raised me, though. They never set limits to my dreams and were my number one supporters. My grandfather passed away last year and he was very proud of me and all of my travels. Every new horizon I see and every new friend I make, I always think about my grandpa and how much he would have enjoyed seeing the new places and making new friends. People have always asked me, "Jeanette, why do you travel?" and I would always say, "I travel for the sake of traveling". But now, I feel as if I travel with a defined purpose. I travel to better myself as an individual, to learn new things, to respect those who are different, to LOVE the world as it has loved me. I've had many difficult experiences and delighted ones and I would not change any because they have shaped me into who I am today. I want to meet and see the world, not just for the sake of myself, but for my Grandpa Abel and for those who cannot do so.

On my way to Patsy's.

In New York City, I was able to catch up with friends I had made during my last visit and I was also able to make new comrades. Oh and how could I not mention, I dined at Patsy's Italian restaurant! It was a personal favorite of Frank Sinatra (I'm a huge fan of his and I am always thrilled to visit places he frequented). I had the privilege of lunching with Ukrainian migrants (they've been in the US for many years now, they left before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in hopes for a better life). We started off talking about basic things in life, then we discussed profound topics. I learned a whole lot from them and I am grateful for that. Among the many things I learned, one that has really stuck with me is that all life experiences, even the most difficult can have a positive outcome, it's what you make of it. Life is truly yours and we need to focus our energies. They said they were inspired by me and my optimism, but I was also inspired by them. Now, I'm trying hard in life for them too and for you, of course!

Stay sane and humble my habibis. The world if your oyster and who is the world to tell you what you can and cannot do?! I believe in you and do not tell me it can't be done! Defy the odds because this is your life, you're unique and can make a difference. So, please join me on this enlightened odyssey, one that I call "life".